The Cheapskate does Kota Kinabulu – CX, KA, MI, SQ & HH

[moa999]

Lots of photos on Hilton KK pls.

Spent three days in KK a few years ago. Stayed at LeMeridien and did the Mt Kinabalu hike (which I suspect not on your itinerary). It's a pretty compact town, not particularly pretty but the night markets are quite nice

 

[froggerADL]

Travel Insurance

Due to my medical condition, I can no longer rely on free credit card insurance as any claim I make is likely to be due to a fall that results in a broken bone or two.

I came across InsureAndGo a few months ago when I was booking my upcoming trip to South Africa. They make it really easy to include pre-exiting medical conditions on-line, including mine which is actually quite rare. I’m so special! They don’t charge any additional premium for my condition either, unlike some other insurers. They are also a Choice “recommended provider” which, rightly or wrongly, gives me a certain level of confidence in them.

I’ve never made a travel insurance claim so I cannot recommend them, or any travel insurance company. I’d love to hear from anyone who has made a claim with InsureAndGo.

As an aside, I always find it remarkable that people make insurance company recommendations based on their purchasing experience and/or price, when they have not made a claim. To me that is like recommending a restaurant where you have made a successful booking but never actually eaten there.

I didn’t worry about buying the policy until a few days before departure as my cancellation costs at that point would have been 6,000 QFF points and US$30 for the SQ/KA flights.

The cheapskate gods were obviously looking after me as five days before departure I got an email from Entertainment Book offering 20% off InsureAndGo policies. It cost $58 which I was very happy with.

 

[froggerADL]

Cx174 adl- hkg

This is my second flight on a CX A330-300 in J and to be honest I wasn’t that impressed with the first one. That was the same 1-2-1 but to be fair I was connecting from a CX 747-400 in F which was my favourite flight ever.

I have recently become a huge fan of the SQ J seat on their aircraft with the 1-2-1 layout, although they were on a 777-200 and A350-800, but I now find myself comparing everything to that. I just love their wide, soft leather seats.

There is nothing bad about the CX A330-300 and it is probably the best J hard product available out of ADL. I’ll be able to compare it with the SQ A330-300, which has a 2-2-2 layout at the end of his TR after my SIN-ADL flight. I already have a seatmate in a very full cabin on that flight so I may be disappointed.

As I mentioned previously, I had the mini cabin to myself, all eleven seats, with me in 19A with my own personal toilet, although I did catch an FA using it once!

This is what I call a shadow!




CX have three versions of the A330-300 and I believe this is the best one with 1-2-1 layout and Y+. The seat has a pitch of 82 inches but is only 20.2 inches wide.

This particular aircraft was 15 years old, and while it has been refurbished, it didn’t feel particularly new. I know I’m being very picky and I was perfectly comfortable. It certainly beats sitting down the back.

Breakfast was very good except for the omelette, but I’m more inclined to blame that on ADL catering than CX.

I started on the Champagne at about 11am. I can’t remember what it was but I thought it was very nice. I also had a couple of red wines and some Port (the fortified wine, not that amazing footy club – comments not required!).

Lunch was also very good but I can’t remember what I had except the cheese plate and Maggie Beer burnt fig ice cream.

The service was very attentive with the call button answered within seconds every time.

Overall it was a very enjoyable way to spend nine hours in a metal tube and as I said before, it’s probably as good as it gets from ADL to anywhere.

 

[love_the_life]

Re: Cx174 adl- hkg

I like the 1-2-1 set up as when we travel as a couple, we sit behind each other, each in our own personal space (been married a long time so usually don't want to chat etc).

 

[froggerADL]

Re: Cx174 adl- hkg

I just found the menu from CX174.

The Champagne was Deutz, Brut Classic.

For lunch I had seared sesame crusted tuna followed by beef short ribs. They were both very enjoyable.

 

[froggerADL]

Hkg

We arrived into HKG on time. My wheelchair was waiting for me and I was whisked straight to The Wing F lounge. One of the downsides, well the only one I can think of, of wheelchair assistance is that I can’t really choose which lounge I go to. I would have chosen The Wing F anyway.

Unfortunately, as much as I enjoy them, HKG OneWorld lounge crawls are no longer practical for me.

I had a glass of Champagne and was then collected for my next flight. I’m sure it had nothing to do with the alcohol, but my memory is a little hazy about the trip from the lounge to the Cathay Dragon departure gate. We got on a shuttle bus to the northern satellite terminal for our departure from gate 505. As the bus arrived I noticed that most if not all of the planes at this terminal were Cathay Dragon. I also noticed that at least one of the planes had the new Cathay Dragon livery which I was looking out for. I was wheeled to the aircraft door.

 

[potm]

Re: Hkg

Looking forward to pics of the new Hilton and your comparison with DBL tree in KL.

 

[froggerADL]

Ka67 – hkg - bki

I didn’t get the rego number of this Cathay Dragon A320 but it had the new livery and was obviously very new. It wouldn’t surprise me if it was in its first week of service, maybe even its first flight.

I had seat 10H which would be 1D on a QF 737-800. I’ve never understood Cathay seat numbering. It had very generous legroom at the bulkhead with very comfortable light blue cloth upholstered seats. It was a very enjoyable three hour flight. IFE was an iPad which fits into a holder on the bulkhead.

The J cabin was completely full.

We landed on schedule and I was whisked through immigration in no time. We stopped at an ATM and purchased a taxi voucher for RM30 (A$8.80). I was then wheeled to a taxi for the ten minute ride to the Hilton.

 

[froggerADL]

Re: Hkg

Looking forward to pics of the new Hilton and your comparison with DBL tree in KL.

Geez you’re a demanding lot!!!

The pics will come later, once I've taken them .

The DT KUL is more like a Hilton than a DT in my opinion, given its very nice suites and executive lounge. I also love the wide variety of restaurants, supermarket, food hall and even a Sports Direct store below the hotel. It also has a shopping centre connected by a walkway. Given my problems staying upright, this makes life very easy for me.

One of the things I’m not so keen on with the DT is the time it takes to get there from the airport but that’s not the hotel’s fault. Mind you, it's not as bad as Melbourne.

The Hilton KK also has very nice rooms with marble bathrooms and walk-in showers. The executive lounge here beats the DT for me, the beer is colder for a start. It is also very large and open. Did I mention that I spend a lot of time at executive lounges?

I find it more difficult getting out of the Hilton KK than the DT KUL for food and other shopping but that won’t worry most of you.

The one thing that is a dead heat is the staff because they are all Malaysian. I find Malaysian people about the friendliest anywhere in the world that I’ve been. I realise that’s a massive generalisation but I just find them so happy and friendly.

The Hilton seems to be more expensive than the DT when paying cash but they are both HH category 2 when using points.

So to sum up, I really like both hotels. If you haven’t been to KK I would definitely recommend this Hilton, especially as a way to get great value out of your HH points.

For the cripples out there, the DT KUL is a great hotel because there is so much right there. My experience shows that both hotels treat HH Diamonds exceptionally well.

By the way, they both have self-pour spirits!

 

[I love to travel]

Thanks am really enjoying another of your TR. One comment re DT KL, lounge offerings have gone downhill am sitting in it now, evening snacks are far more limited, beer is only one type now etc

 

[moa999]

I noticed the same re DT KL last Sept. None of the canapes on the second counter, and the hot dishes reduced to what I would call frozen party food, plus some dips round the corner.

 

[sinophile888]

Re: Travel Insurance

Due to my medical condition, I can no longer rely on free credit card insurance as any claim I make is likely to be due to a fall that results in a broken bone or two.

I came across InsureAndGo a few months ago when I was booking my upcoming trip to South Africa. They make it really easy to include pre-exiting medical conditions on-line, including mine which is actually quite rare. I’m so special! They don’t charge any additional premium for my condition either, unlike some other insurers. They are also a Choice “recommended provider” which, rightly or wrongly, gives me a certain level of confidence in them.

I’ve never made a travel insurance claim so I cannot recommend them, or any travel insurance company. I’d love to hear from anyone who has made a claim with InsureAndGo.

I have used insureandgo since 2015. I found them after being rejected by 13 other insurance companies.

I had booked a Europe trip for October/November last year and took out a policy with insureandgo some months before. Unfortunately, the old troubles returned unexpectedly and forced the cancellation of the trip, including airfares, hotels and a cruise. The claims amounted to around A$6500 which were paid in full, except for an excess of $100. Some flights were eligible for part refunds as was the cruise, having only paid a deposit at that time.

The premiums to cover my risks are quite high, but the choice is expensive travel insurance or not to travel.

I am confident that anyone who has pre-existing conditions so consider insureandgo.

 

[froggerADL]

Re: Travel Insurance

The claims amounted to around A$6500 which were paid in full, except for an excess of $100.

Thanks for posting your claim experience sinophile888. You reminded me of another good thing about InsureAndGo - only $100 excess.

 

[sinophile888]

Re: Travel Insurance

Thanks for posting your claim experience sinophile888. You reminded me of another good thing about InsureAndGo - only $100 excess.

From memory, for what it's worth, there were three options re excess; $0, $100 and $250. I took the $100 choice without giving it much thought.

When it came to making the claim, I got a bit worried as when I had made the hotel bookings I booked separate days according to the best price. I was worried that I would have to pay $100 each time I had made a booking. But the process was swift and reasonably painless and only one $100 excess was deducted from the total.

Also the staff member with whom I dealt was very helpful.

 

[froggerADL]

Nice Upgrade

Check-in was a breeze. While I was handing over my passport etc. Shafiq pro-actively went off and got a wheelchair. I was then taken to the executive lounge on the ninth floor. I was asked if I would like a drink and I replied that I’d love a beer. Drinks and canapes had finished for the evening but that was not a problem.

Once the formalities were complete, I was taken to my room on the eleventh floor. It was then that I realised I had been upgraded from a base level room to the 105sqm king executive suite. It has a dining room and lounge, and a great bathroom complete with bath and walk-in shower. Very nice, and much appreciated, but way over the top for my needs.

I finished my beer and went to bed.

 

[froggerADL]

Whaaa! I wanna go home

After the third night of my ten night stay I was beginning to feel that I had made a mistake coming here on my own. I had had a few falls, including two in public that required staff members to pick me up. And no, I wasn’t drunk! Well, that’s my story anyway. My lovely suite was on a different floor to the executive lounge which was where I was spending a fair bit of my time, and it was also quite a long walk (for me) from the lift.

I decided to see if I could get home early after five nights. The first thing I wanted to know was, if I left early, would I get my HH points refunded for the unused nights? I’m a cheapskate remember. I rang the HH Diamond number and I was told, yes, I would, but I would need to ring back to get the points re-credited after I had left the hotel. Sweet.

I then needed to find out if I could get an earlier flight home. I have a grand total of five KrisFlyer miles in my account and the flights I needed were available for waitlisting only. I rang SQ and asked if I could change to a flight in two days’ time. The lady offered to waitlist them for me, which I accepted. I decided that if the waitlist cleared the next day I would go home.

As I wasn’t confident of the waitlist clearing, I asked to be moved to a room on level nine, the same floor as the executive lounge. They were very concerned that they wouldn’t be able to give me a suite on that floor, but I explained that I would be happy with any room near the lounge. They gave me a standard room directly opposite the lounge entrance.

As it turned out, I was very happy once I was in the new room and wouldn’t have taken the flights even if the waitlist cleared.

I found what happened with the SQ waitlist very interesting. I was told that it could clear at any time up to three hours prior to departure. Departure time of the first flight was 11:45. The waitlist for the first flight didn’t clear at all but at about 09:45 I got a text message saying that the SIN-ADL flight had cleared. I thought that was strange as at that point I couldn’t get to SIN. It didn’t matter anyway as I had already decided to stay for the full ten days.

 

[froggerADL]

Fire!!!

On the fourth night of my stay, at a little after 21:00, a recorded voice alert went off in my room saying that I should ignore the fire alarm as it was a false alarm. There had been no fire alarm! About five minutes later another recorded voice alert went off in my room saying that I should evacuate immediately.

Being burnt to death in a hotel is probably one of my least favourite potential ways to die, so I immediately got dressed!

One of the great things about Hilton on-line check-in is that you can select a checkbox to indicate that you require assistance in the event of an emergency. I had selected that checkbox but had no idea if it would make any difference in the event of an actual emergency. I can assure you that I wasn’t going to hang around to find out!

I opened the room door to find a staff member arriving to assist me. Excellent. For the record, I did not attempt to take my hand luggage with me! I even left my passport and wallet in the safe.

Given that I find navigating stairs very difficult, I am on my office’s list for assistance in the event of an emergency. This means that when there is a fire drill I just need to wait by the goods lift until a fire warden comes to get me. I then get in the lift, with lots of other cripples, and go down to the ground floor.

This led me to believe that the reason for the signs saying “do not use the lift in the event of a fire” were there so that the lifts are available for people who really need them. So I was rather hoping that I would be taken to a lift and whisked to safety. Nope! I had to walk down nine flights of stairs while hanging on to the rail on one side, and the arm of the staff member on the other. Maybe an AFF member in the fire service (I’m sure there must be at least one here ) could tell me what is the correct procedure.

Anyway, we eventually made it outside and I plonked myself down on the footpath with a nice wall to lean against. There was smoke coming out of the hotel! I found out later that it was a kitchen fire on the first floor.

After about two hours, when the Fire Brigade had done their thing, we were allowed back in. The ground floor absolutely stunk of smoke, so it wasn’t just burnt toast!

So there you go. A little bit of excitement for the trip.

What surprised me the most was the number of people on the street in bathrobes. I assume they had ignored the alarm and had no time to get dressed when they were forced to evacuate. Suckers!

 

[froggerADL]

Bloke Shopping - No Shoes!

The Hilton KK is directly opposite Asia City shopping centre. It is quite an old centre, but that is good because it means that rents are cheap and so are the prices. I got a haircut for RM20 ($6), and my spectacle lenses, which I damaged a few months ago, replaced for RM120 ($36). I also went to a dentist for a check-up, clean & scale which cost RM150 ($45). Last time I did that at home they charged me $190!

I love going to dentists in SE Asia. We always chat about which Australian state they trained in, and/or which state their children/siblings are currently working or studying in. Adelaide and Melbourne are favourites.

 

[JessicaTam]

Re: Bloke Shopping - No Shoes!

Sorry to be late to check in, but great to see another cheapskate tour.

 

[froggerADL]

Re: Bloke Shopping - No Shoes!

....... and my spectacle lenses, which I damaged a few months ago, replaced for RM120 ($36).

I forgot to mention that it took just 90 minutes to get the lenses replaced.